ACWA joining SALT-WATCH to monitor Road Salts in our creeks
Road salt can have a huge impact on our streams, its critters, and you!
ACWA is gearing up for Road Salt season…that is, our Community Scientists are readying for road salt/chloride monitoring!
Applying road salt is important for helping people travel safely in the winter. But the salt and other deicers do not stay on roads: it washes off into streams, where the chlorides in the deicers damage the quality of our drinking water, road infrastructure, and hurts organisms that aren't adapted to life in salty environments.
ACWA Community Science volunteers will be monitoring our local streams for road salt (chlorides) and sharing the data through a program called SALT-WATCH by the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA). Our monitors will use the free SALT-WATCH kits and easy instructions to measure chlorides in their local streams and submit their data to our coordinator or directly to the Clean Water Hub database.
Throughout the winter ACWA will also be sharing resources and tips on reducing the impacts of road salts and deicers. An online workshop for smart salting practices will be scheduled as well. During Winter Salt Awareness Week 2025, which occurs January 27-31st, national and state speakers livestreamed by Wisconsin Salt Wise. (See https://wintersaltweek.org/)
What can you do?
Learn about the harmful effects of road salts on the IWLA Salt-Watch FAQs page. More in-depth info on de-icers and anti-icer chemicals is available on the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin site.
Help monitor streams of chlorides either with ACWA (info here) or by requesting a kit directly from IWLA.
View regional SALT-WATCH data on the Clean Water Hub. ACWA is now listed as a partner organization, where we will share the chloride monitoring results.
TAKE ACTION! Learn how you can reduce your use of de-icing salts. Tips and resources you can share to help reduce the impacts of chlorides on our waterways.
Watch for future announcements for additional resources and outreach events about winter road salts and deicers on our social media sites and website.